Established in 1994 to address the alarming statistics that shows a yearly rate of abandoned pets to be at 6 to 8 million. Among those, around 3 to 4 million are euthanized due to the inability of shelters to take care of them due to restricted resources and funding. Rated a four-star charity by the Charity navigator, they have managed to save the lives of around 3.3 million pets spanning the species spectrum of animals that they send into adoption programs to get them the loving homes they deserve. These abandoned pets are a result of irresponsible pet ownership, some are abandoned due to financial problems, and some are left to fend for themselves, sometimes in appalling conditions. These animals got through health checks and are brought back to proper health according to pre-set standards. Animals are then checked for signs that may show if they are indeed probable candidates for adoption, animals with degenerative diseases and psychological issues are put down for apparent reasons. Their vision of a home for every pet might be too ambitious but they are getting things done and indeed saving lives of animals who would otherwise have to be put down. With the help of state and local authorities and funding from private individuals and businesses they continue on their loving work to get each and every animal a home that would give them the best possible care.
Helping Pets This Holiday Season
If you love animals, consider giving to a pet or animal charity this holiday season. In your community alone, there are various organizations who need your help. If you live in the UK, a good place to start looking is at Pet Charities website. This comprehensive site has listings of most animal charities in the UK, with contact details.
Here are some ideas that will give brighten up a pet’s life:
1. Animal Rescues and Shelters
These places are always in need of food, blankets, medicine, toys and other supplies. Visit or call your local one and ask what necessities they need most. Also consider putting your time to volunteer, act as a foster home, or better yet, adopt a pet yourself.
2. Animal Welfare Groups
Large organizations like the RSPCA (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), The American Humane Society or the ASPCA are great places to start off finding ways you can help. Their websites are incredibly comprehensive and organized, and have a lot of facts and information and well as the latest news, programs and interesting stories.
You can even get your children involved by taking them to these sites and asing them how they would like to help. If finding a new family pet is in the picture, take your child to the American Humane Society’s website where they’ll find Clifford The Big Red Dog‘s Adopt a Dog Month.
Older kids can also give part of their allowance each month, or raise funds through selling their old toys, clothes or even having an old fashioned lemonade stand in the yard.
Through their sites, you can create direct debit accounts to give monthly donations, or even shop in their store for some great products which go to a worthy cause.
In the RSPCA shop site for instance, the Holiday Collection is out and worth a look. Here’ll you’ll find a wonderful one-stop-shop for a lot of your holiday needs. Fantastic Christmas cards with adorable illustrations of animals, wrapping paper, card holders, advent calendars, Christmas crackers, chocolate, even decorations for the home and much, much more.
There is also a massive selection of toys and personalised gifts for everyone in the family including pets of course!), as well as many other lovely home, garden and leisure items.
[tags]pets,animal cruelty,christmas,holidays,animal welfare,aspca,rspca[/tags]
Animal Charities Cheer New Laws On Commercial Pet Fairs
In the UK, animal rights charities such as the RSPCA and the Pet Care Trust have long been fighting the legality of animals sold during Commercial Pet Fairs. There was great concern that the welfare of animals bought and sold at such temporary events were compromised.
However, a new bill that has just been passed not only bans the sale of animals, but also allows animal lovers to run and participate in these pet fairs without the need for a license.
David Bowles, Head of External Affairs at the RSPCA commented:
“We are delighted that the Government is going to follow the judicial review on pet fairs that concluded that such events are currently illegal under existing legislation and to ensure that new legislation maintains the position that it is illegal to sell animals at temporary commercial events, under the Animal Welfare Bill.
“The RSPCA has attended many commercial pet fairs and has had long standing concerns about the welfare of the animals which are bought and sold in such circumstances.”
“Today’s announcement heralds an important decision on welfare grounds to continue to ban commercial pet fairs in England, and that is very good news for the welfare of the diverse variety of animals now kept in captivity. We would urge the Assembly of Wales to do the same.
“The consultation announced today will also provide the opportunity to clarify what is meant by permitted fairs where animals are not sold in the course of a business. All animals that are bought and sold at temporary fairs are subject to the same welfare needs, and the RSPCA will be seeking to ensure that those needs are recognised in law.”
[tags]charities,animals,rspca,pets,animal welfare,animal protection,laws[/tags]